HW on counter-arguments and counter-claims (1)

docx

School

St. Francis College *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1101

Subject

Philosophy

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by LieutenantGoldfishPerson273

Homework on Refuting Arguments Some problems are from Epstein’s Critical Thinking 4 edition online workbook. http://www.advancedreasoningforum.org/sites/default/files/publication_files/ 10.%20Formatted%20Exercises.pdf Part I: Identifying methods of refutation – be mindful in some cases there isn’t an actual method of refutation. The person might be committing a fallacy or doing something that seems like a refutation. If you come across any such cases identify them and write down what you think is happening such as identifying the fallacy. Identify if the method is one of the following: o direct – demonstrating that a specific premise is false o Reduction to the absurd o Refutation via analogy Evaluate the attempts to refute arguments by answering the italicized questions. (Keep your eyes open for any possible fallacies!) 1. Lee: I’m going to vote for that initiative to eliminate discrimination against homosexuals in hiring and getting places to live. They should be treated like everyone else. They deserve a chance to get jobs and homes. Tom: Are you kidding? I’m voting against it. You should, too. They don’t deserve any preference over the rest of us. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 2. Zoe: You should eat less red meat. Red meat has lots of cholesterol which blocks up the arteries and leads to an increased risk of heart disease. Dick: Mankind has been eating red meat since the dawn of time, and we have still survived as a species. If we stopped eating everything that was bad for us, we would be left with nothing to consume but small white tasteless pills, which would later be discovered to cause a new type of deadly cancer. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 1

3. Look, I agree with you. We have too much violence in the streets, too many drug pushers, too little respect for the law. But our prisons are overflowing, and that’s costing us a fortune. So we’ve got to reduce our prison population. Yet you say we should be even tougher on crime. The answer is simple: Institute a lottery among all convicted felons in jail and execute one of them every month—no appeals. That’ll instill a real fear of being arrested. And it’d be fair, too. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 4. Mary Ellen: Yes, yes, Dr. E. Raw food is best for you. I eat only raw food. Cooking destroys all the goodness in the food. Dr. E: There goes 2,000,000 years of evolution. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 5. Zoe: I can’t believe you’re eating all those spicy almonds. I thought you were trying to lose weight. They’re really fattening. Dick: Not if you don’t chew them. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 6. (Complete letter to the editor from Vern Raburn, CEO, Eclipse Aviation, in Crosswinds Weekly, July 11, 2002, in response to an article “Eclipse Aviation’s Money Troubles”.) Should you decide you are interested in supplying your readers with something other than lies and bullshit, I suggest you spend more time fact checking for yourself. This will help prevent you from the embarrassment of propagating others’ inaccuracies. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 7. Columnist George Will wrote in Newsweek last year that a dime placed on the edge of a 4-foot by 6-foot dinner table would represent the relative portion of the refuge that would be opened for drilling. I could use Will’s analogy to compare the size of a bullet through your heart with the size of your body and draw the mistaken conclusion 2

that very little damage would result. Unfortunately for the refuge, the area proposed for drilling has been described (by the Republican Reagan administration, no less) as its “biological heart.” America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by N. K. Whiton Albuquerque Tribune, 5/7/2003 What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 8. Tom: I’m going to the animal shelter to adopt a big dog, like a German shepherd. Suzy: But your place is too small. Tom: I don’t like small dogs. You can get more exercise with a big dog. Suzy: Why don’t you get a pony then? I’m sure you’d get into great shape with that. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) 9. Harry: There’s no reason to think the Nazca lines were made by aliens. The art is similar to Nazca pottery. Wooden posts have been found next to the lines, showing they used ground-based techniques to draw them. Wanda: Since no one knows for sure whether aliens exist, it’s really up to the individual whether they do or not. What is the method of refutation? Is the refutation a good argument? (Explain) Part II: Practice in counterarguments Identify one way that each of the following arguments can be directly refuted. In other words, use the c ounterexample method: Find an alternate explanation for the premises of these arguments: 3

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

1. In one study, after smoking was discounted, beer drinkers had a 20% greater risk of lung cancer than wine drinkers, and that increased to 50% if they drank 7 or more beers per week. Clearly, beer drinking causes lung cancer. 2. In a study comparing actors who won Oscars to those who, in the same year, were nominated in the same category and lost, it was found that the winners lived nearly four years longer than the losers. This is probably because the feeling of victory makes them want to live longer, and so they do. 3. In a nationwide study, African American were shown to be 20% more likely to catch a cold in any given year than East Asian Americans. African Americans must be biologically more susceptible to the cold virus than East Asian Americans. Refute the following arguments. Say whether you are showing a premise is dubious, attacking an unstated premise, showing the argument is weak, or reducing to the absurd. 1. Mrs. Wang is a great marriage therapist. She really cares about her clients. 2. Multiple-choice examinations are the best way to examine students. The grading is completely objective. Students know how to prepare for them. And professors don’t have to spend a lot of time grading them. 3. You should keep a gun in your home. This is a dangerous neighborhood, and a gun is the best protection you can get. Think of what could happen if someone broke in. 4. There should be more extra credit available in this course, because it’s a hard course. To refute the following arguments, use the reducing to the absurd method. The way one refutes to the absurd is to identify the faulty premise and use the faulty premise to demonstrate how such thinking can lead to an unwanted/undesirable conclusion. Sometimes the premise is unstated, but can be inferred from the context. The purpose of reducing to the absurd is to demonstrate that a premise is false. 4

Example: It is safer to consume marijuana than other drugs, because marijuana is natural whereas other drugs require processing. Anything natural is safe for you. Unstated premise: If it is natural, then it is safe to consume. Argument: Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance. Since natural occurring substances are safe to consume, we can safely consume arsenic. Since arsenic is natural but is not safe to consume it demonstrates how the unstated premise is false. The conclusion is absurd as we should never find ourselves in a position where we are consuming arsenic. *Note – if there isn’t an unstated premise then just give the your argument using the reduction absurdum method. 1. We all have different morals. Everyone's moral opinion is equally valid. Therefore, what is right for one person is right for him or her and what is right is right for me. Unstated premise: Counter-argument: 2. If it is pleasurable, then you should pursue that activity. No one should judge you for doing what is pleasurable. So do what you want to do. Unstated premise: Counter-argument: 3. Guns shouldn't be outlawed because we have along tradition of using guns in our country. We should be concerned about keeping our traditions. Unstated premise: Counter-argument: 4. I don't believe that human beings landed on the moon, because I didn't see it with my own eyes. Unstated premise: Counter-argument: Arguments for refuting by analogy: 5

Remember refuting by analogy is a way of reducing to the absurd. The strategy to refute by analogy is to give a similar argument in style to the one that you are refuting, but it demonstrates why such thinking is faulty. In analogous arguments you use true premises and show how they lead to a clearly false conclusion. The premise you use is not from the original argument, but is similar in style. The analogy is given to demonstrate that the original argument is weak. Example: A gun can be used to murder someone, and murder is illegal. So, having a gun should be illegal. A steak knife can be used to murder someone, and murder is illegal. So steak knifes should be illegal. Notice that the one premise is true and it nearly mirrors the premise used in the original argument. However, it produces an undesirable and impossible conclusion. Since the line of reasoning is the same, and we agree that the evidence given regarding steak knives does not allow us to conclude that we should make them illegal, we can also say that the original argument is weak and bad. 1. All politicians just want power. Having power corrupts everyone. We should not support corrupted people. So we should not support politicians. 2. Guns should be allowed anywhere as it is our legal right to own a gun. Therefore guns should be allowed at the RNC convention. 6

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version